May 14, 2010

Want your kids to eat more veggies? Hide them in their burgers, they'll never know! I'm in experimental mode this weekend and played around with adding zucchini to my turkey burgers.

This was great for so many reasons! Not only did they taste great, adding zucchini also lowered the calories and fat per serving, it made one extra burger and what a great to get your picky kids to eat their vegetables. This made 5 big burgers. Serve them on low point hamburger bunsand top with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion slices, pickles, ketchup or mustard (add extra points). These can be grilled or cooked indoors.

For best results: use a hand grater to grate the zucchini, onion and garlic super fine. Get the pan hot before you put the burgers on to get a nice sear, then lowered the flame to the lowest setting to let the burgers cook all the way through, turning a few times so the burgers don't burn.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through.

If grilling, clean grill well before cooking and spray with oil spray to prevent sticking.

These were so yummy! I added a 1/4 red pepper and some portobello mushrooms to my blender too (becuase they were going bad in teh fridge). As a result I had to up the bread crumbs (I used GF ones) to 1/2 cup. I got 6 patties and they were still 4pts each. We ate ours with hummus on the side.

Thanks so much for this recipe. Had my parents and sister and her fiance out to our house for dinner tonight. Mom and dad don't like onions and garlic so I left those out but I can't wait to try them with onions and garlic! YUMMMM~Andrea

Another BIG HIT, Gina!! I made these tonight on my George Foreman grill (served on Sara Lee Delightful Wheat buns) with your lighter macaroni salad on the side and not a single plate had scraps. The zucchini idea was brilliant, thank you!!

just made these for my weekly moms' meetup group weight watcher's meeting. i'm really excited to actually taste them. they were really easy to prepare. :) let out the onions though because i'm not fan (and we're at my house toy - lol) but they smelled good when i was making them. i have lettuce and tomatoes to go on top of them and mustard, ketchup, steak sauce, or bbq sauce. will update after us crazy moms eat! thanks for the low-point lunch recipe!

Thanks for the awesome recipe, Gina! This was my first experience with ground turkey and I expected them to be dry...exact opposite! Dh and my little guy loved them as much as I did. -By the way, we used to live in Levittown, PR and I miss Martin's Chicken. Have you ever eaten there?

I should probably stay away!! I'm sure theirs are fried! :) Tostones are soo good, I've been meaning to bake some more, I keep buying them green, but they are turning yellow so quick I don't get a chance to make them.

I wanted to know if you can taste the zucchini? I hate zucchini, just to be honest, and I am looking for ways to incorporate more veggies in my diet and this would great but for me zucchini taste like eating dog food...

After having my 3rd kid, it was time to change how we were eating and start weight watchers. Your blog is AMAZING!! Helps with healthy menu planning. These burgers are at the top of our family's list. I have 2 picky toddlers and a pickier husband. Making veggies is not their fav. However, they LOVE these!! Thank You!

These burgers were wonderful! You can't taste the zucchini in them at all....and my nephew, who doesn't eat veggies, had three burgers. Halfway through his second, he said..."what is this green stuff?" I said, "zucchini, it makes the burgers moist" and he went on to finish the second and have a third. Thank you for such a yummy, low point burger. BTW, I grilled mine on the gas grill...turned out great!

Made this tonight and even the kids loved them! Holy Cow! I almost fell out of my chair when my daughter (5) said this was her new favorite burger!!!!!! Really! and yes I included the zucchini..... amazing! I made this with the baked mac and cheese from this site and topped it off with the strawberries and cream (again from this site) I was looking for a good way to mix it up with new ideas and I found just what I needed.... thank you

@kermit- I'm so glad the little one liked them!! I'll tell you, my dad is Czech and makes amazing Czech burgers with cabbage in them. Probably the best burgers in the world but who would think? That's where my inspiration came from. I seriously think you can sneak any vegetable into a burger and it would taste good. I'll have to post dad's recipe one day!

Made these a few minutes ago and they were great! I made the sweet potato fries from the website too. Great healthy version of a burger and fries. My super picky boyfriend liked them as well which is a HUGE compliment! His only comment was that they seemed a little fragile, could this be because I used a medium zucchini instead of a small one? Could throwing an egg as an emulsifier solve the problem? Im new to cooking so Im skeptical of straying too far away from the recipe.

OMG...these were hands down the BEST burgers I have ever had/made!! My Roommate wont touch most veggies but he absolutely LOVED them! We both just started WW and this site is a gold mine! If you published a cookbook I would stand in line overnight to get it! :o)

I love this recipe, Gina. First off, my veggie phobic 7-year old son, who won't touch anything green, gobbled these down like he couldn't get enough. When I asked if he liked his burger, he said, "Niiiiice, Mom." Put that sucker on a whole wheat bun with mustard and ketchup and the kids won't know the difference!!! And, for me, it was awesome to be able to have a bigger burger!! I also used this recipe to make meatballs and sauce, and again, he family was none the wiser. These are terrific on the grill with a side of your corn salsa with lime and/or your mango-avocado salsa. I'm just lovin' your recipes, Gina. I check in every day now! Keep up the great work!

Absolutely loved the recipe "as is" but I've ramped them up a notch for what I think is only 1 additional point. Local farmers' market has ground lamb, which I mixed 1:1 with the turkey, added 1/8 c more bread crumbs, and then stuffed with caramelized onions. Got 9 hefty burgers done on the gas grill. Served on 1 point buns with lots of lettuce and tomato - huge and filling!

I have tried soooo many turkey burger recipes and my family & I have never liked them. I decided to try yours, and they were AMAZING. I added a splash of worchestershire sauce to give them that extra kick. YUM, YUM, My mom was so shocked with how flavorful they are. I cooked them also on my foreman grill as someone else suggested and served these with your sweet potato fries & dinner was a hit. Thanks again Gina for another winning recipe! I loved this meal because it was easy, very affordable, & quick!

@Anonymous, I'm glad you all liked them! I was very satisfied myself when I tasted them. Not all experiments in the kitchen are as successful. My husband is not a ground turkey fan so I really have to do wonders in the kitchen to get him to like it!

Has anyone ever left out the bread crumbs? I have not had any luck finding whole wheat bread crumbs. i tried them tonight and used some panko. they were fabulous but i was wondering if i could just leave out the bread crumbs altogether? If i must have them then I was wondering if the oats tasted good? Is it just quick oats or instant oatmeal? I loved this recipe and many other recipes of yours. Also has anyone ever made their own ww bread crumbs?

I wouldn't leave them out, I don't think they would hold well but oatmeal would work just as good. You can easily make your own, toast the whole wheat bread slightly or leave it out until it gets hard, then put in the food processor with dried parsley flakes, romano cheese, salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

These were the best turkey burgers I have had!I used 1/2 the amount of breadcrumbs and they were great!Even my 5 year old liked them! We might never go back to our old ones!Thanks or the great recipes!

I am new to cooking healthy and I made these last night. First time for me making or eating turkey burgers. They were delicious!!!! Even my 4 year old daughter, who is VERY picky ate this and loved it!!! And she got in some veggies while at it, without even knowing!!! (She hardly ever eats any veggies). Love your site and can't wait to try many more of your recipes!!!!

I've been making turkey burgers for year and have found that you can add all sorts of healthy veggies w/o upsetting the picky eaters. I frequenly add grated carrots or chopped fresh spinach to my burgers. Have to be careful with things like carrots, tho, cause they have a lot of moisture of their own. My daughter now insists that I add one of my "special ingredients" when she seems me starting a batch of turkey burgers!

I made this recipe last night for my boyfriend. I expected them to be a good substitute for the cheeseburger I'd been craving lately but I did not expect it to be BETTER! My boyfriend was OBSESSED! We both are having them for lunch today as well seeing as we have left overs. I put about 1/4 c of onions in because i love onions and i seasoned the patties with burger seasoning once they were on the grill. They were moist and juicy and AMAZING. It just makes me happy to know that i don't have to feel like i'm missing out on things like cheese burgers. I had them today for lunch with BBQ pop chips and the total points value was 4.5 points. In love! Thanks for this recipe Gina!

if you havent tried these, you should! this is such an easy and tasty recipe. you dont even taste the zucchini. i also added chopped green bell pepper for more veggies and crunch. it was good as a burger as well as cut up and mixed w/ rice. thank you gina!!

Oh. My. Goodness. These burgers were so good and full of flavor! They weren't dry AT ALL. The best part? My anti-zucchini husband couldn't even tell the zucchini was in them. I told him after he ate two of them. ;)

Isn't it amazing what the zucchini does to these burgers! I don't understand people that don't like zucchini but at least there are plenty of ways to sneak it into their food. Zucchini bread is another great way!

I just had a heavenly turkey burger. Thank you so much Gina for sharing this recipe with us! I tried making this last week using some substitutions but they didn't come out right. Lesson learned! Gina's recipes NEED NO MODIFICATIONS!!!!!!

Just made these for my housemate and I, they were delicious. Made my own breadcrumbs by drying out some multigrain burger buns for a few days and then put them through the food processor with wheat germ and flax seed. This recipe is definitely a keeper- very easy and yummy!

Made these tonight...awesome, my picky boyfriend ate one and half and took one for lunch tomorrow. However, my son who normally loves veggies wasn't having the green in his burger...maybe next time I'll peel the zucchini. LOVED IT!! Thank you for posting all these, I managed myself on WW w/o your help and lost 45lbs, but my boyfriend is a lot harder and your recipes are helping show him...good for you can taste good too. Thank you so much!!

Hate posting Anonymous, but I use Explorer - Absolutely THE BEST turkey burgers! Did not fall apart/crumble on the george foreman grill and SUPER moist! Family ate them up, including the young-adult college son & nephew, who are very picky when it comes to grilled hamburgers (or in this case, turkey burgers)

Hi Gina,I love your recipes. I am so glad I found you:)Any idea about the points plus value of these burgers? Thanks in advance. Going to the store now to get all the ingredients. Lots of cooking today, very COLD in NY. A prefect day for cooking and football:)

These were so good! I added some cayanne pepper for some spice. Put them in a whole wheat pita with some reduced fat feta and grilled red onion and didnt need any ketchup or anything. 5 Stars, delicious.

These were FANTASTIC! My 5 yr old who doesn't eat ANYTHING loved them! That's saying a lot! LOL The family had them as "hamburgers"... I had mine w/o a bun and with sauted mushroom and onion on top. It was fabulous! These are definitely being added to our weekly menu.

Loved these! This is the first recipe from here that I have tried and it was incredible. I too need to incorporate more veggies :) My family turned there noses up when they heard what we were having, but they all devoured it once they tasted it!Thank you and I can't wait to try more!

I just found your site and I love it. The only hard part is deciding which recipes to try first. :) I want to make these, but quick question. If you are going to feeze them, do you freeze before or after you cook them or does it matter?

I can hardly wait to try these. My husband just bought a new grill and the snow is almost gone in MN. :) The comments are amazing! Do you think you could add zucchini to lean ground beef for a burger, too?

Made these tonight!! Hands down best burgers EVER!! Had people over for dinner and they had no idea they were eating healthy or that there was zucchini in there!! Every single recipe I have tried so far has been fabulous! Thanks for having a blog with such fantastic recipes!!!

THESE WERE AMAZING!! So delicious!!! Even my kids gobbled them up!! Such a great recipie! And SO EASY! My first time making home made Turkey Burgers and it really couldn*t have been easier or come out better!!

I have to say that I was VERY skeptical that these would pass my EXTREMELY picking 5 year old....but they DID and he actually ate EVERY bite; including my 2 year old and 8 year old. They were so good- I was AMAZED!! Nice work Gina, once again!

I made these tonight and they were very good. I put the veggies in the food processor to save time. I only made a few changes. Instead of breadcrumbs I used oatmeal. I used regular yellow onion. I only had 1 lb of meat so I used that but still had 2 big burgers. I think they turned out very good. Next time I will try them on the grill.

I'm 18 years old and am currently on weight watchers and have so far lost 25lbs! I'm super excited but I recently have been getting really bored of all the same foods. I new it was time to break out of my comfort zone and actualy cook. I've never cooked anything before and I was afraid because I thought most recipes were hard without experience. This recipe was the first one I've tried and it wentgreat! they were so delicious, my whole family loved them and best of all they were a healthy, WW friendly meal! :) Thanks Gina!!!!

I love your blog...I've made several of your recipes & they've all been great. I was looking for something to make last night & ran across this recipe. OMG...best turkey burgers, ever! They were moist & had a little different flavor. Thanks for all your hardwork in providing these delicious & WW friendly recipes. :)

Gina, these were fabulous - thank you!! My family loved them, even my picky 4-year old! The zucchini really kept the turkey moist, you couldn't even taste it, and you can't beat the added bonus of sneaking in veggies!

Next time, I think I am going to try Richard's idea of putting feta on them... that sounds like the perfect complement to these burgers!

Gina, I used 99% fat free turkey and 1-1/2 zucchini and about 2 tsp of dry Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing mix. Nothing else. These were divine! My recipe actually made 8 patties. These taste a lot like a Trader Joe's Chicken Burger that I loved but can't find anymore. Awesome! Thanks so much. I have lunch for all week!!!

I have made this recipe before but as meatballs (with some slight modifications), and they were the best turkey meatballs I've ever had. So, I decided tonight to make the recipe as-is and it was delicious. I topped the burgers with provolone cheese and tomato sauce (like Gina suggest in her chicken parm. burger recipe) and it was really good. Definitely adding this one to the rotation! Thanks for another great recipe!

Sometimes you just want to sink your teeth into something, and this did it for me. Eaten wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun, this burger totally satisfied me. Bravo! Delicious, hearty servings. Thumbs up from the kiddos, too. We had Low Fat Baked Onion Rings on the side. Yum! Thank you, Gina!

These burgers were terrific - very moist and tasty. I made these for my husband several weeks ago...he always complains that I am making "diet" food but he really loved this dish. I am planning on making this again tonight. Thanks for a great recipe Gina!

I love these burgers. I make them at least once a month and can't get enough. I remove the breadcrumbs and add feta because I love the slightly tangy/creamy flavor from the cheese. Also the burgers are wonderful crumbled on an salad for a little extra protein.

Gina, I just wanted you to know how much I love your website. I tell everyone about it! I cook at a daycare for about 60 children each day. I make two snacks and lunch. I use your recipes all the time. The kids and the parents all love it. Thank you for sharing with us!

Made these tonight. Absolutely delicious. We had stopped and picked the kids up McDonald's because we knew they wouldn't eat anything with zucchini in it. I gladly threw away 2 happy meals for two kids who ate turkey burgers instead.

I made these turkey burgers along with your onion rings last night and WOW! They were better than our typical skillet burgers. They just melt in your mouth. I messed up the onion rings but I know what to do next time!

Gina - thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I took the advice of another reviewer and added a dash or 2 of worsteshire sauce. I also used garlic flavored breadcrumbs (and 3-4 cloves of garlic...we love garlic). These were moist and SO full of flavor. I love your website...I love your recipes...and I thank you SO much. KEEP ON COOKIN' and I'll KEEP FOLLOWIN'!!!

Gina, just made these last night. I made them into sliders(it made about 12). They were so yummy. Loved the zucchini. My kids all loved them too. It was fun playing guess what is in the burger. Wish you could have seen my husbands face:) Thanks for another great recipe!!

I made this tonight and it came out great! This was my first recipe I made from your site, and I am so excited to make more. Tomorrow my daughter and I are going to make the chocolate heart cakes for Valentines. Thank you so much for the wonderful, healthy recipes!!

When I cook this on my griddle, I cook them on one side for 5 minute minimum so they dont fall apart when I flip them; then cook another 5 minutes or so and they are done! So good, quickly becoming my go to burger recipe. Even my husband and his friends love them!

Made these tonight in replace of my tried and true turkey burgers and loved these. I replaced the seasoned bread crumbs with 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan and added a little oregano, parsley and basil. They were awesome!

I made these for dinner last night and they were fantstic!! I have another turkey burger recipe that I normally make but this recipe will be replacing that!! This will definitely be a staple recipe in our house!! Thank you for the yummy recipe!! I absolutely LOVE your blog!!

Very good. Cannot taste the zucchini at all. I subbed oatmeal for the bread crumbs since I didn't have any. I also threw in some burger seasoning. I think I could have even used a bit more, as turkey is pretty bland.

Made these for dinner as sliders, they were great! If you are low carb or don't want to use breadcrumbs, try grated parmesan cheese. Delicious, moist, a definite hit with the kids and hubby. My first recipe made from your site, looking forward to trying more.

Yummy! I subbed oatmeal for the breadcrumbs as others have done, doubled the garlic, and added a splash of liquid smoke. Very satisfying. Skipped the bun and had some of the more recent Asian Mango Cole Slaw instead.

Hi Gina- My husband loved these! I have made these at his polite request twice in one week. We also served them to some friends and they couldn't believe what a difference the zucchini made with regard to keeping the burgers moist. We are not on trying to lose weight in our house, but I think it has to be a positive side effect of cooking one of your recipes every day! Thanks for the wonderful inspiration in the kitchen from all of us who want to eat healthier without sacrificing great taste!

Hey, I just found your site and it's amazing! But I have one question. Can I use this recipe to make meatballs instead of burger patties ? And bake them in the oven instead of grilling them ? Or bake the burger patties ? I don't have a home grill nor I want to fry them in oil. Will it have the same taste ?

I've pinned so many Skinnytaste recipes on Pinterest and this was the first I got around to making. Wow. These were so moist and delicious and most importantly they didn't fall apart while cooking which most turkey burger recipes seem to do. I substituted crumbled up shredded wheat cereal for the breadcrumbs since that is what I had on hand and they turned out great. Thanks so much for this recipe, it is my new go-to burger recipe and my husband loves burgers.

Hello! I had extra ground turkey from a previous recipe and a craving for a turkey burger for lunch today...luckily I came upon this great idea to use zucchini! I modified it quite a bit but definitely give you the credit for the zucchini idea! I eat gluten free, so I omitted the breadcrumbs...instead, I added a bit of the following: egg white for keeping it together, dash of Worcestershire sauce, sauteed chopped onion, little light mayo and dijon mustard, salt/pepper, and the minced garlic. WOW! EXTREMELY moist and flavorful! Zucchini=AWESOME! - Melissa

I'm really looking forward to trying these! I plan on making them tonight, but wanted to ask... do you think this will be manageable with just a hand grater? I don't have a food processor or blender or even a madolin. I do have a microplane, hopefully that will grate the veggies fine enough?

Gina - these were amazing. I have a turkey burger recipe I usually make, but it turned out strangely bitter last time. Thought I would try something new, after that bad experience. I modified it slightly by using panko breadcrumbs, shallot instead of red onion, and a dash of worchestershire. These blew my mind, as well as those of my husband and sister. The BEST turkey burger I have ever had!

Just got done making these...wow, they were amazing! Great recipe! I'm very new to cooking & trying to find healthier meals to make for myself and this was wonderful! Soo happy, all the ingredients meshed soo well together, and for under 200 cals for a burger, you can't beat it! Will be making this again!

Delicious! Upped the garlic to 2 cloves and added a bit more than the 1 tbsp. red onion, and the flavor was fantastic. After forming the patties I thought the consistency might not hold well, but as soon as they hit the skillet the patties firmed up. (I did ring the grated zucchini in a dish towel to remove excess liquid before mixing ingredients.) I'll make these again!

I have been meaning to review this recipe for a while now. These turkey burgers are just amazing!!! I used the italian seasoned ground turkey which gave it a little kick. I also used ground oats instead of breadcrumbs and added some flax seed meal. They came out so moist and flavorful, something you would not expect from a turkey burger. I served these on homemade sesame seed buns with lettuce, tomato and mayo and they were perfect :)I did not read all of the other comments so forgive me if someone else already suggested this but this recipe would make amazing meatballs, can't wait to try it out. Thank you for sharing with us!

These were excellent! I added some garlic salt and omitted the red onions. I was concerned that these wouldn't bond without an egg, but that was not the case. "Grilled" them on the griddle and the "charring" only added to the amazing flavor. My 3 year old loved them.

I was just going to click rather than comment, but there was no "LOVE" button to click. My daughter made these for my husband and me last night. They were scrumptious. I just copied your recipe and will make them often. We are currently trying to lose weight with the Weight Watchers' program. Your point information is very helpful. Thank you so much!